Question of the day: What's the best way to weather a storm?

Ken Stevens | kenstevens2@mlive.comDowned trees lie on vehicles and the home at 20 Circle Drive in Fruitport on Aug. 10, 2009. Storms swept through the area the previous evening causing at least one death and knocking down trees and power lines throughout Muskegon and Ottawa counties.

While West Michigan has never been the target of a major hurricane like the East Coast is facing with Sandy, we've weather some pretty rough winds and the weeklong power outages that came with some of them. Thankfully, not very often.

East Coast residents have gotten good advice, some being ordered to evacuate and head for higher ground. Others are in areas where they simply need to be prepared to ride out the power outages and dig out from the debris. They've even been reminded to check on their more vulnerable neighbors -- something we all should do regularly.

Even with all the destruction that comes with a major storm, there's still something fascinating about the event that lures people to the shoreline. Plenty of us will be watching Lake Michigan today, so be careful out there. Don't go out on the piers or do anything that will cause someone else to risk their life to protect yours.